. >> trust me, you talk to republicans, no matter how this shakes off, if we go over the fiscal cliff, we are to blame. i hear that over and over. something to what tom said, it's an amazing notion that a just-elected democrat president is necessary to make permanent the bush tax cuts. they were tax rate cuts across the board. the idea that most of them could be made permanent -- bush couldn't have gotten that done in 2004 after being re-elected. i do think that republicans should take a victory lap in that regard. >> it is really politically smart to do this. you know, but it's also particularly smart to cut the knees out from under grover norquist. who is he? he's an unelected -- >> it's not him. >> he represents something that's real. he represents something that's real. >> i think everybody recognizes to get these numbers to work you have to have revenue increases. the question is, do you need tax rate increases or not? i think it's very tough to make the math work. >> honestly, i think -- and i like grover, but there is a big -- but there's a big, big difference between not being